Every so often a piece of news lands that does not affect you today but tells you a great deal about where the hobby is heading. This week the RSGB confirmed that Ofcom has agreed to extend the 146-147MHz Notice of Variation for another year. If you hold a Foundation licence, you cannot use it yet. It is still worth knowing about, because it shows what a Full licence opens up and why the regulator keeps that door ajar.

What has actually been agreed

A Notice of Variation, usually shortened to NoV, is a permission from Ofcom that adds to what your licence normally allows. This one covers the 1MHz slice of the 2m band from 146MHz to 147MHz. The RSGB asked for it to be extended, and Ofcom said yes, according to the RSGB announcement of 5 November 2026.

There are two conditions worth remembering. The spectrum is available on a non-interference basis, which means that if you cause problems for another user, you must stop. The NoV also carries a 30-day notice period, so Ofcom can change or withdraw it with a month’s warning. Only Full licence holders can apply, and they do so through the RSGB at rsgb.org/nov.

Where this sits next to your Foundation privileges

As a Foundation licensee, your 2m allocation is 144MHz to 146MHz. The extra megahertz sits immediately above the top edge of what you can use. That is a handy way to picture the licence ladder: the band is the same, the equipment is often the same, but the permissions grow as you progress.

Please do not be tempted to nudge your handheld up past 146MHz because the news sounds exciting. The permission belongs to Full licence holders who have applied for it, and a Foundation callsign does not cover it. Stay within your own limits and enjoy the growth path instead.

Why Ofcom allows it in the first place

The stated aim is to encourage radio amateurs to experiment and test new communications schemes and systems. That sentence is the heart of the hobby. Amateur radio exists in law because people tinkering with signals have produced useful ideas, from digital modes to mesh networking, and the regulator would like that to continue.

The RSGB VHF Manager has also asked for reports of innovative use of the spectrum, to support future discussions with Ofcom. Those reports are evidence. If nobody uses the extra megahertz in interesting ways, it becomes harder to argue for renewing it next year. You can reach him at vhf.manager@rsgb.org.uk.

What you can do now

You do not need a Full licence to take part in the wider conversation. A few practical ideas:

• Join your local club and ask who holds the NoV. Someone nearby probably does, and members who experiment are usually delighted to explain what they are trying.
• Get properly comfortable on 144 to 146MHz first. Learn your repeaters, try simplex calling, and listen on a local net before you transmit.
• Look at the Intermediate course as your next target. The jump in power and privileges is gentler than many beginners expect, and the Full licence follows from there.
• Read the RSGB notice itself rather than relying on forum summaries, because the conditions are specific.

A quick note on volunteering

While browsing the RSGB site I spotted that the Society is recruiting a volunteer Outreach Team Chair, someone to lead the group that shows the hobby to newcomers. You may not feel ready to lead a team, but it is a good reminder that the people who introduce beginners to radio are volunteers, and that fresh licence holders bring exactly the perspective outreach needs.

The bigger picture

The spectrum we use is borrowed on trust, and renewals like this one depend on amateurs showing they put it to good use. That is a comforting thought when you are working through your first few contacts. Each of us, whatever our licence class, is part of the evidence that the hobby deserves its place on the dial.

So keep practising, keep your eye on your upgrade path, and perhaps one day you will be the one sending the VHF Manager a report about something clever you tried on 146 to 147MHz.

73 de M0LGI